Person:Irmgard Schoennauer (1)

Biography

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Irma (Schoennauer) Cole (born as Irmgard Ida Ottilie Schoennauer; January 15, 1920 – November 6, 2003) was one of the United States’s premier swimmers in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Born in Seattle, Washington, she was the daughter and eldest child of Chicago native, Arthur Charles John Schoennauer, and Prussian immigrant, Ida Amalia Ottilie Welk. Irma’s father was a career typesetter employed by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for most of his life; her mother was a seamstress and clothing designer. As a teen, Irmgard attended Lincoln High School in Seattle, and graduated from the University of Washington in 1942 with a BA degree in Communications. As a freshman, she was a member of "Chi of Phrateres," a philanthropic-social organization for female college students at the University.

Born the year female swimmers became the first American women to achieve full Olympic status, Irma began her competitive swimming career as a child at Green Lake in Seattle, having local swimming champion Helene Madison as her older role model. Quickly recognized for her natural swimming ability and competitive spirit, Imgard was invited to join the swimming team of the Washington Athletic Club in 1935, soon winning numerous local, regional, statewide, and multi-state telegraph races, and was a member of the 400-yard relay team that won the National Championship in 1938. Groomed to compete in 1940 Summer Olympics, she continued competitive swimming after the outbreak of World War II, even though the Olympic games were suspended by the IOC. It is very likely, had it not been for the war, she would have competed on the United States Olympic swim team, possibly alongside peer, Esther Williams of California.

She made a career as a civil servant for the Federal Government for over 40 years; starting with the Department of the Interior at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state after graduating from college, the Department of the War (Army & Air Force) in California during the latter part of World War II, and the Social Security Administration from about 1953 in various states, including California, Kansas, Maryland and finally Washington, where she retired about 1982.

Irma married Melvin Leroy Cole of Arkansas in 1955 in Ellensburg, Washington. Because they both worked for the same government agency, after married they rarely resided in the same city. Although two children were born of this union, partly as a result of this forced separation, they divorced in 1963. Besides her lifelong interest in swimming, she enjoyed travelling by train (she never got a driver’s license, owned a car, or flew in a plane), investing in real estate, and researching her family history. Irma died in Tacoma, Washington at the age of 83. Her body was buried at Lake View Cemetery in Seattle, next to her beloved father. Upon her death in 2003, she was survived by one of her brothers, her two sons, and one grandchild.

Intercollegiate Swimming Records (1940)

Cover to Official Aquatic Guide (1941)

Photo of Irma as a women's record-holding national champion while at University of Washington

Wikipedia biographical article on Irma

Contemporary photo of Irma's childhood residence in Seattle

1940 U.S. Census entry for Schoennauer family

1930 U.S. Census entry for Schoennauer family

Irmgard Schoennauer in University of Washington 1938 Tyee Yearbook Photo

Swim Team in 1940 Newspaper Photo

Seattle Times article (1942)

Seattle Times swimming competition results (1940)

1. ↑ Irma Schoennauer, in The Typographical Journal, Volume 101
   157, 1942.

   "The idea that in order to be a life-guard one must be of the male sex was dispelled when Miss Irma Schoennauer, daughter of the late A.C.J. Schoennauer, of the P-I, took such a position at one of our many beaches. She is a recent graduate of the U. of W."

2. ↑ I. Schoennauer, in Official aquatic guide By American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. National Section on Women's Athletics
   77, 1941.

   "100-yard Free Style Relay Race record: A. Kipperburg, Betty Lea, Jean Kalinski, I. Schoennauer; U. of Washington 54.2 1939."

   Extract of Official Aquatic Guide (Swimming Records) Image:ArielDoc1.pdf
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5} Irmgard Ida Schoennauer Cole , in Obituary notice - Columbia Funeral Home
   8 November 2003.

   "Irma was born January 15, 1920 in Seattle, Washington to C.J. Schoennauer and Ida A. Schoennauer, nee Welk. She attended Trinity Lutheran School, Lincoln High School and graduated from the University of Washington in 1942 with a BA degree in Communications. In 1935 she joined the swimming team of the Washington Athletic Club and was a member of the 400 yard relay team, winning the National Championship in 1938. She worked for over 40 years in various departments of the Federal Government. She is survived by 2 sons, Robert A. Cole of Appleton, Wisconsin and Arthur J. Cole of Huntsville, Alabama. She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Seattle and later, Central Lutheran Church in Tacoma. Memorial contributions may be sent to Central Lutheran Church, 409 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma, WA 98405. Funeral service 1 p.m., Monday, November 10, 2003 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1200 10th Ave. E., Seattle with a graveside service at Lakeview Cemetery immediately following. Arrangements by Columbia Funeral Home. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guest book at www.columbiafuneralhome.com."
   
   Also published in print on 11/8/2003 in the Seattle Times.

   Columbia Funeral Home Obituary Image:Obituary-IrmaSchoennauerCole.pdf
4. ↑ ^4.0 4.1 Irmgard I. Schoennauer Cole, in Find A Grave: Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, King, Washington
   Find A Grave Memorial# 64996940, Feb 01, 2011.

   Birth: 1920
   Death: Nov. 6, 2003
   Burial: Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, King County, Washington, USA

5. ↑ ^5.0 5.1 Irmgard Ida Ottilie Schoennauer, in Ancestry.com: Cole-Schoennauer Family Tree.
   Ancestry.com Individual Overview Image:Irmgard Ida Ottilie Schoennauer.pdf
6. ↑ FindMyPast: Irmgard Schoenauer, in United States. 1940 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T627)
   Sheet 6B, Line 54, 9 April 1940.

   Census details
   First name(s) Irmgard
   Last name Schoenauer
   Relationship Daughter
   Marital Status Single
   Gender Female
   Age 20
   Birth year 1920
   Birth place Washington
   Ethnicity American
   Race White
   City/township Seattle
   County King
   State Washington
   Previous residence date 1935
   Previous residence city Same House
   Previous residence county -
   NARA series T627
   NARA roll 4375
   Record set US Census 1940
   Category Census, Land & Substitutes
   Subcategory Census
   Collections from United States & Canada

7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Irmgard I. Cole, in Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index: Death Master File, database. (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service)
   U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database , 6 Nov 2003.

   Age 83
   Given Name Irmgard
   Middle Name I
   Surname Cole
   Birth Date 15 Jan 1920
   State Washington
   Last Place of Residence Tacoma, Pierce, Washington
   Previous Residence Postal Code 98401
   Event Date 06 Nov 2003

8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3} Irma Schoennauer Cole, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
   Ref #Q6072087, Retrieved 12 May 2016.
9. ↑ Ray Daughters from Seattle, WA, in Rootsweb: Daughters Surname Board
   Note to other message board contributors, 12 Aug 2008.

   John, Jody & Carole - I remember well my mother's respect and admiration for Ray Daughters. My mother's name was Irmgard Schoennauer, and she trained under his mentorship at the Washington Athletic Club in the late 1930s. Although I grew up as a child with two bookcases of her swimming trophies in my bedroom in Seattle, unfortunately I know only few details of her swimming career. One of the things I do remember is how she talked of Ray in very respectful terms.
   
   My mother died in 2003 (83 years old), and I regret not asking her more about the championships she won and the records she broke under his tutorship. I think my mother joined the WAC in about 1935, probably desiring to follow in the footsteps of Helene Madison, another Seattle swimming champion, and was a member of the 400-yard relay team that won the National Championship in 1938.
   
   Do any of you recognize my mother's name in the book, newspaper clippings, or photographs you write about? I would love to obtain further information about her years of competitive swimming, both for the University of Washington and the Washington Athletic Club. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2} Irma I. Schoennauer, in R. L. Polk and Company. Seattle (King County, Wash.) city directory: contains buyers' guide and a complete classified business directory. (Seattle, Washington: Polk, 1890-)
    Page 1257, 1955.

    Schoennauer Alf traffic mgr Superior Portland Cement r2130 N 51st
    " Arth H A tchr Concordia Lutheran Sch r2130 N 51st
    " Ida A (wid Arth C J) h2130 N 51st
    " Irma I repr US Soc Security Admin r2130 N 51st

    Seattle City Directory (1955)
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3} Irmgard Ida Schoennauer^?, in FamilySearch Family Tree
    https://familysearch.org/tree/person/LRTL-XGG/details, Retrieved 13 Apr 2017.

    Birth: 15 Jan 1920, Seattle, King, Washington, United States
    Death: Nov 2003, Tacoma, Pierce, Washington, United States

12. ↑ Wayback Machine: Swim Guru Ray Daughters, in SportspressNW
    article by David Eskenazi, 7 Aug 2012.
13. ↑ ^13.0 13.1 Irmgard Ida Ottilie Schoennauer, in Cole, Robert. Cole-Schoennauer Family Tree. (Ancestry.com: Cole-Schoennauer Family Tree)
    retrieved 16 Jul 2018.

    When Irmgard Ida Ottilie Schoennauer was born on January 15, 1920, in Seattle, Washington, her father, Arthur, was 44, and her mother, Ida, was 35. She married Melvin Leroy "Lee" Cole on June 30, 1955, in Kittitas, Washington. They had two children during their marriage. She died on November 6, 2003, in Tacoma, Washington, at the age of 83, and was buried in her hometown.

14. ↑ COLE, IRMGARD I., in Tacoma Public Library Digital Collections: Tacoma-Pierce County Obituary Index.

    Name COLE, IRMGARD I.
    Date of Death (YYYY-MM-DD) 2003-11-06
    Date of Obit 13 NOV 2003 B-5 (Death notice only)
    More Information How do I find this obituary?
    Firstname IRMGARD I
    Lastname COLE

15. ↑ ^15.0 15.1 Columbia Funeral Home Obituary Image:Obituary-IrmaSchoennauerCole.pdf